CONGRESS: It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Congress will pass an energy bill this year. (The Hill)

ALSO:
• Federal lawmakers are expected to unveil spending plans this week for the Department of Energy. (E&E Daily)
• Conservative groups pressure Congress to remove tax breaks for renewable energy from an FAA reauthorization bill. (The Hill)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Greentech Media at Solar Summit for over two days of unrivaled networking opportunities and innovative, engaging panel sessions that will provide a unique mix of market intelligence and coordination among industry players. To get 10% off your registration, use our code: MWENERGY10***

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Documents filed so far in a challenge to the Clean Power Plan chronicle years of legal wrangling over carbon regulation. (SNL Energy)

OIL AND GAS:
• Critics say a California utility’s warning of potential blackouts is a scare tactic to keep the Aliso Canyon storage facility open. (Los Angeles Times)
• How a quasi-governmental agency is effectively serving as a lobbyist for the oil and gas industry. (InsideClimate News)
• An industry group pressured a North Dakota museum into altering a “green energy” exhibit so it could appear more “balanced.” (Bismarck Tribune)
• A group of Iowa landowners is suing state regulators for allowing a company to use eminent domain to build the Dakota Access pipeline. (The Gazette)
• Backers of a Colorado ballot measure to expand the buffer zone around drilling operations can begin gathering signatures. (Denver Business Journal)
• Declining oil and gas revenues are having a major impact on small eastern Montana towns. (Billings Gazette)
• Colorado’s governor urges FERC to reconsider its rejection of an Oregon natural gas export terminal. (Denver Business Journal)

FINANCE:
• Former NRG Energy CEO David Crane says the once-popular business model for financing clean energy projects known as “yieldcos” is “completely broken.” (Houston Business Journal)
• Bad financial bets on risks of oil and gas could cost billions. (Bloomberg)

COAL:
• California lawmakers will debate the potential health impacts of a proposed coal terminal in Oakland. (San Jose Mercury News)
• Amid coal’s collapse in West Virginia, one in four Appalachian Power customers are delinquent on their electric bills. (ClimateWire)
• A carbon tax to help rebuild coal communities attracts growing interest. (U.S. News & World Report)
• Energy efficiency is eliminating the need for a Wyoming coal plant with ties to Rocky Mountain ski towns. (Summit Daily)

SOLAR:
• Utilities backing a solar amendment approved for Florida’s November ballot have raised about $7 million to date. (Florida Politics blog)
A Vermont furniture manufacturer plans a solar array that will provide about 2/3 of its electricity. (Furniture Today)

UTILITIES: A major utility says the income-guarantee deals approved in Ohio make the case against further deregulating Michigan’s electric market. (Midwest Energy News)

COMMENTARY:
• Concerns arise over the nuclear industry’s push for small modular reactors. (Climate Change News)
• In almost every way imaginable, the car, as it is deployed and used today, is insane. (The Atlantic)